ntains as any upon the
earth, before this observation; now they have no claim upon that score,
no more than any limestone formed of shells.

When I first announced my belief that such objects in natural history
might be found, I little thought to have seen it realised, to such a
degree as has now happened in the little circle of my knowledge. In the
summer 1791,

Professor Playfair was to pass through Cumberland. I begged that he
would inquire of Mr Wright, at the Low-wood Inn, for those objects which
he was to endeavour to procure for me, and to examine the limestone
quarry in which I had found the specimen with entrochi. He went through
another part of those primary mountains, and has found examples of this
kind in the schisti; concerning which he has written me the following
account.

"In a visit which I made to the Lakes of Cumberland in September 1791,
in company with the Hon. Francis Charteris, I met with a limestone
full of marine objects, though from its position it is certainly to be
reckoned among the primary strata. The place where we found this stone
was in the district of Lancashire, that is west of Windermere Lake, on
the road from Ambleside to the north end of Coniston Lake, and not far
from the point when you come in sight of the latter. Just about this
spot we happened to meet with one of those people who serve as guides
to travelers in those parts, and who told us, among other things, that
stones with shells in them were often found not far from where we were
then walking. We immediately began to look about for specimens of that
kind, and soon met with several; the most remarkable of which was in a
rock that rose a little above the surface, about 300 or 400 yards to
the right of the road. It was a part of a limestone stratum, nearly
vertical, and was full of bivalves with the impressions as strong as
in a common secondary limestone. The strata on both sides had the same
inclination, and were decidedly primary, consisting of the ordinary
micaceous schistus. This however I need not remark to you, who know so
well from your own observations that the whole of the country I am now
speaking of has every character of a primary one. I, only mention it,
that it may not be supposed that the rock in question was some fragment
of a secondary stratum that remained, after the rest was washed away,
superincumbent on the primary.

"After I had seen this rock, I recollected that you had told me of
something of the